Experts warn Trump’s plan to name cartels ‘terrorists’ could open door to military operations in Mexico
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President-elect’s latest suggestion threatens to escalate tensions between the U.S. and Mexico. Donald Trump’s plan to designate Mexican drug cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations” could provide the legal framework to allow the U.S. to conduct military operations in Mexico, according to experts.
![[Trump’s ‘Agenda47’ includes his “action plan to destroy drug cartels.” By labeling them “terrorists,” it would allow military operations on Mexican soil.]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/05/08/17/Screenshot%202024-05-08%20at%2011.23.44%20AM.png)
For years, the President-elect has threatened to designate cartels that traffic illicit drugs into the U.S. foreign terrorist organizations. That distinction would allow the government to place additional economic and social sanctions on them. In 2019, Trump nearly designated Mexican drug cartels as “terrorists” but backed out after compromising with Mexico.
However, earlier this month, the president-elect pitched the idea again, this time at a conference for Turning Point USA in Arizona. Trump campaigned aggressively on combating illegal immigration and drug trafficking, specifically related to fentanyl. He is holding Mexico accountable in the efforts to stop drug influx into the U.S., already promising to enact a 25 percent tariff on Mexican imported goods – despite the country being one of the U.S.’s largest trading partners.
But designating cartels as “terrorists” would be one step further. “Designating cartels as terrorist organizations would be a strategic error with unpredictable consequences for both countries,” a senior official at the Mexican Embassy told El País.
The purpose of designating an organization as a terrorist organization is primarily to stop the flow of money and allow federal prosecutors to pursue criminal penalties against cartel members and allies. It also provides legal backing for the president to carry out military operations – specifically under the Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001 Act.
